On the road, any vehicle is susceptible to damage.
High-speed collisions, fender benders, negligence, and bad weather are just some of the causes that can lead to minor or severe auto body damages. The repair process at an auto body shop will vary greatly, depending on the severity of the damage.
Auto body shop Saskatoon is the SGI accredited Elite auto body repair shop, with a highly trained team of professionals and a long history of satisfied customers. With best repair practices and material technologies, as well as cutting edge equipment, Advantage Collision Prince Albert is a leader in the collision repair industry and your trusted partner in an extensive range of auto body repairs.
Damage to the front or rear bumper
The most common damage is damage to the bumpers. It is not a surprise; in most cases, the bumper is the first part between you and the obstacle in question!
A moment of inattention during a maneuver is the main cause of damage to the bumper. Collisions with other cars are a common cause, which often leads to greater damage.
According to the figures, most of the damage to the bumpers occurs on the right side and the fact that we often park on the right side of the road would be the cause.
Sometimes a damaged front bumper can be repaired with polyester and putty. The holes are sealed with polyester and irregularities are filled with putty. This takes a long time as each coat has to dry and cure before a new coat can be applied. Here too, everything is carefully cleaned and degreased beforehand to optimize the adhesion of polyester, putty, and paint. The more difficult the location, the longer the repair will take.
In some cases, the front bumper cannot be repaired or it is cheaper to replace it. The new bumper is colorless and must be painted in the original auto color.
Scratches and paint damage
Scratches on the body (causing damage to the paint) are number 2 on the list. This damage is therefore extremely common, as scratches can occur with virtually any form of damage
(e.g. with a damaged bumper as described above).
In most cases, scratches or paint damage are, thankfully, very easy to repair. By using the spot repair technique, the scratch is gone easily so that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money. This can be easily repaired, but sometimes the damage to the paint is greater and more difficult to repair.
If there is such damage to the paint of the auto body, then the most common procedure is to repair the paint again. The stain is first carefully cleaned (degreased), then smoothed and degreased again. In some cases, it is necessary to use a filler to eliminate the anomalies. Putty needs time to dry and should be sanded and if all goes well, the varnish is applied. Often several parts are sprayed to avoid color differences.
Many body shops also apply a protective coat of paint over primary paint. This is a transparent layer that also has to be dried out separately. After the paint has hardened, the auto body is polished again using a cleaning machine. Due to this intensive treatment, the damage is no longer recognizable.
Glass breakage and damage to windows
Many drivers had to deal with broken glass or glass damage at least once in their driving history but most of the time they didn’t have control over the situation, which makes this type of damage very difficult.
It is usually a small stone coming out of nowhere against your windshield, causing a crack.
This can be easily fixed, but sometimes the entire window needs to be replaced, depending on the severity of the damage. This mostly happens when the crack is too large to be repaired with usual repair techniques.
Bumps and reddening
Most of the dents happen at the car door. Sometimes drivers or passengers want to open the door with a little too much enthusiasm, without checking if there is a pole, wall, or another car next to them. In no time at all, the auto body is damaged.
When the dent is not too large, it can be easily repaired with modern techniques.
By using the paintless dent repair method, the dent can be repaired without repainting the damaged part, saving you time and money!
Unfortunately, not all types of bumps can be repaired with the PDR technique, hence they must be repaired and sprayed.
In case of internal damage, certain parts must be disassembled to access it. After removing the bumps, the unevenness is sprayed. In many cases, complete doors or other parts need to be repainted, even if there is only one small defect, to avoid color differences.
Head-on collisions
In the event of a collision with the front of the vehicle, the damage can quickly be very severe. In many cases, the front bumper is not the only one damaged. Headlights often burst, the hood is faulty, and even the lower parts, like the chassis and radiator, suffer tremendous pressure.
If the car “knocks” into an object (another vehicle, wall, fence, supporting pillar of the bridge) with the entire front surface, i.e. the front bumper, both sides of the car absorb the energy of the impact. If half of the surface of the front part of the vehicle is exposed to a direct impact, then the energy that is released on that occasion is amortized by the body zone provided for those purposes only on one side.
Tips for avoiding auto body damages
Most body damage occurs during maneuvering. These practical tips can help prevent scratches and bumps:
- Never rely entirely on parking sensors. Don’t push the limits: a continuous signal means you only have about eight inches of play.
- Preferably, park in a large car parking area. This way you avoid swinging your doorman against another car and running the risk yourself.
- Better to turn the steering wheel more than once rather than too little. If there is a good chance that you will hit the car in front with the angle of the bumper when parking, then do an extra maneuver.
- Remember to apply your handbrake when you park. Always place the gear lever first or in reverse. This way the car will definitely stay in place.
- Are you really not a hero in the parking lot? Then choose a car with automatic parking assistance. All you have to do is accelerate and brake – the car steers on its own. Some cars even take care of the whole operation.